Device for automatically creating storage reserves in oil-storage tanks



. G. R. FOLDS DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIQALLY CREATING STORAGE'RESERVES IN GIL STORAGE TANKS Filed June 8. 1925 UNITED stares Patented Feb. 28,192

i v 1,660,835 -PA N F ICE 1 GEORGE a. FOLDS, or onroaeo, ILLINOIS, AssIG-NoR'TooooK ELECTRIC COMPANY, or j oHIcAGo, ILLINOIS, A oonroRA'rIoNor ILLINOIS.

DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY CREATING STORAGE Rnsnnvns IN OIL-STORAGE TANKS.

Application filed June 8,

lly invention relates to means for indicating a low liquid level in a tank, and more particularly to a device for automatically creating a storage reserve in an oil storage tank. 7 While I shall refer to an'oil storage tank of a fuel burning system as the preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not in- I tend'limiting my invention solely thereto, as

- burning systems are employed asthe heating unit for domestic use, the owner of the build ing is required to keep a record ofoil'in, thestorage tank, so that it Will not be 'neces sary to shut down the heating system 'at'any timebecause' the tank is empty. The danger of being required to shutdown the heating system in Winter is apparent. So far as I know'the most practical method used isto record the number of days since the tank WflSlflStf filled. I find that an oil gauge is not always Watched, and as there is noth-v ing to Warn the approach of an empty tank by it except for its reading of the number of gallons pumped,,it often fails in its utility unless the owner happens to be passing the gauge and observes there'ading.

An object of my invention is to provide 7 p It is, of course, understood that pipe" 6,,as

a device which effectively Warns the owner that the oil supply in the storage tank is low, and affords an opportunity to replenish the supply Without requiring thdheating plant to be temporarily shut down.

According to the teachingsof my invention, a storage tank is provided With a suc-' tion pipe entering therein. A. flexibly connected arm is carried at the mouth of the ip'e. This arm is adapted to be disposed in the bottom of the tank and to be movable in a vertical plane. Its open end may be brought to different levelsby a manually operable connection extending to the'top of the tank. A cover may be provided, which will automatically raise this open end of the arm to its highest level. Hence it Will be observed that it will not be necessary to rely on the oil man when refilling the tank to reset said arm: AS Soon as the oil level, again 1925. Serial at, 35,835.-

lowers to a. point Where said open end of the arm l1es,air Will be drawn into the systemand will thereby effectively indicate to the owner that the. storage tank needs re-- filling. 'Thecover may then beopened and the arm lowered; Thetime' required in whichtorefillthe tank depends,;of course, 7

on the reserve held Within the lower end of "the tank. That 'is, it depends on thelevel at which the arm is set When the tank is refilled a r p I believe thatI am the first to provide device of this kind and shall accordingly claim the same broadly. i i

. Other objects and advantages will be ap. 'arent from the following description which is tobe read in connection With the accom pa'nying drawings forming a .parther-eof.

In the drawlngsz Figure 1 is a view-partly.in-elevation and partly in section to'illustrate an embodi ment of my invention-;" an d i Fig. 2 is an enlarged.cross-sectional View taken on line 22.of Fig.- 1. i

I By 1'efe1ring-..more particularly to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of -my invention comprises a fluid container or an oil storage tank 5' provided With an outlet pipe 6. In this. disclosure, the pipe 6 is .a suction pipe extending; through the topof the tank to a point, adjacent the bottom thereof. Suction pipe 6 represents the 'suc-" tlon line of an oil burning system usually connecting the oil storage tank ith the pump supplying oil to the'burner as needed.

shown, is one of the many forms of outlets carries :a, pivotally mounted pipe arm 8.

The conventionaltype o'f'pivotal mounting for pipe 8 is'mere'ly illustrative of the different Ways Which this'pipe arm may be I connected topipe 6.v A stand'9 is fastened to pipe arm 8 near its open endlO to prevent saidopen end from lying agai t th bottom of tank 5.

interconnected bymeans of a chain 14.- with pipe'arm 8 for automatically raising this pipe arm to. the position shown in full lines in Figure when cover 12 is "opened. The

I .Tank] 5 may be provided with a cover .12-

open position of cover 12is shown in dotted lines inthisfigure and the purpose of this arrangement is automatically to create a reserve supply. ii'rthe bottom of tank ata time when cover 12 isfopenedto refill'this tank. Asa practical matter, it is better not to rely-on the Oilfll'lil'fl when refilling tank 5 to re "pipe arm to the position shown in "full lines.- Consequently, I-have provided a pair of lugs adjacent cover 12 forcooperating with the chain, when the cover is open, to hold pipe arm 10 in this 'fullhne position.

' Lugs 15 may be spaced apart a distance less than the crosswisedimension of the links,

so that,when' the cover is l'lipped back, chain 14 is first lifted andthen moved between these-lugs where it will be'locked and pre- 'vented from dropping'back into the tank.

. v vided.

After the tank is refilled, the cover 12 may be closed, but pipe arm 8 will not drop to its lower position'in the tank, and asau'consequence, a fuel reserve indicated by the fuel represented in the tank is automatically pro- 7 A tank of the type shown in the drawings is usually buried in the ground adjacent the dwelling and has an extension 16' leading to I the surface. A- cap carryingmember 17 may be secured to the end of'eXtension '16, this cap carrying member having a pair of lugs .18 forpivotally carrying cover 12.

Then it is found that the oil has been withdrawn from tank 5 to the level indicated in Fig. 1,'the owner m'ay open the'cover and release chain lt 'frolnits locked position between lugs 15. Lower ng of the fuel to this level is usually indicated at. the burner by the a'r"s'ucliedtlnrough the line at the open end 10.- I have found that this serves as an 1 ample warning to the owner because such a condition lSl'etltlllyiDOUCOLlJlG to a person "within the-"housebeing heated. ;lVith the pipe arm 8' inits lower position, enough oil is present in'th'e tank to give the owner am pie opportunity to refill the tank before be: ing completely emptied. Stand9 isprovi'ded'to prevent mouth lO'from drawing,

' through theline the sediment which is usually found at the bottom ofthe tank;

Broadly, my'inven'tio'n provides means for creating a storage reserve in tanks of this kind, and further, means for creating this storage reserve automatically when the cover of the tank is open for the purpose 'ofrefilling the tank. "While I prefer embodying level above the bottom of said container of spaced lugs cooperating with "s WVllGIYSEUd cover is opened to ho inlet pipe, a flexibie connection between the cover is open by holding said flexible contween said pipe arm and said cover for varying the level of the open end of said'pipe arm in said container, and means coop'erat-l ing' with said connection for holding said open end of the pipe arm at a predetermined whensaid cover is opened. 1

In a device of the type described, the,

combination of a fluid container, an outlet for said container, a-pipe movably connected,

to said outlet, a cover, a chain connectedbetween said; pipe.and' said coveryan a-pair chain the open enfld'of saidpip'e at a predeterminedlevelin said container;

3. n]. a device of the type described, the

combination with av fluid container having an inlet pipe leading thereto and an outlet pipe extending therefrom, a cover for-said lower of said outlet pipe andsaid cover, and

in cans associated with said cover and'loca-ted atthe mouth of said inlet pipe for creating a storage reserve'in said container when the -nection in raised position.

i. In a device of the typedescribed, the comliination with a fluid container having an outlet pipe extendingtherefrom and an in-" let opening provided with a cover, a chain operably connected between the innerend of said outlet pipe and said cover whereby the chain is liftedupwardly toraise said inner end' of the outlet pipe whenJthe cover is opened to fill saidcontainer, and means for holding said chain in lifted position when the cov eris closed.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed-"my name.

GEORGE FOLDS, 

